STAND. COM. REP. NO. 759

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 541

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 541 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS PRODUCTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Simplify the definition of "manufactured cannabis product" for purposes of clarity; and

(2) Ensure access to medical cannabis for qualifying patients by replacing the term "transdermal patches" with the term "transdermal devices".

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Akamai Cannabis Clinic.

Your Committee finds that simplifying the definition of "manufactured cannabis product" removes redundancies in the Hawaii Revised Statutes and clarifies which medical cannabis products may be manufactured and distributed by Hawaii dispensaries.

Your Committee further finds that ensuring access to multiple delivery systems of medical cannabis is integral to increasing quality of care for medical cannabis users. Transdermal delivery is advantageous for certain medical cannabis users because it avoids the effects of oral ingestion and can ensure stable levels of the drug in a patient's bloodstream over long periods of time. Your Committee further finds that the Medical Cannabis Legislative Oversight Working Group has recommended updating transdermal patches to transdermal devices to increase the viable methods of medication delivery and take advantage of recent developments in transdermal delivery mechanisms. However, your Committee notes the concerns of the Department of Health that not all transdermal devices are appropriate for patient use of medical cannabis and finds that department oversight to ensure patient safety is warranted.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Limiting the manufacture and distribution of transdermal devices to those approved by the Department of Health; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 541, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 541, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair